Vincent Pastore, the American character actor best known for his portrayal of Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero in the US TV crime drama series The Sopranos, has died at the age of 80.
Pastore specialised in Italian mobster roles, with his Sopranos character being one of the capos. He received a Screen Actors Guild award in 2000 for outstanding performance in an ensemble drama for his work on the show.
Beyond The Sopranos, Pastore's career included numerous film appearances, often in crime-related parts, such as "Man With Coat-rack" in Goodfellas and "Copa Wiseguy" in Carlito's Way. He also made his Broadway debut in 2007 in Chicago and later appeared in Woody Allen’s Bullets Over Broadway: The Musical in 2014.
Pastore was born in the Bronx and grew up in New Rochelle, New York. He served in the US navy during the Vietnam war before studying drama. His early career included working as a bouncer and limo driver, eventually owning his own club.